A Female Lek Mating System in the Worm Pipefish (Nerophis Lumbriciformis) Nuno Monteiro, Diana Carneiro, Nuno Queirós, Agostinh

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

A Female Lek Mating System in the Worm Pipefish (Nerophis Lumbriciformis) Nuno Monteiro, Diana Carneiro, Nuno Queirós, Agostinh A female lek mating system in the worm pipefish (Nerophis lumbriciformis) Nuno Monteiro, Diana Carneiro, Nuno Queirós, Agostinho Antunes, Natividad Vieira, Adam Jones Presenting Author: Nuno Monteiro University of Porto, Portugal and University Fernando Pessoa and Texas A&M University, USA Lek mating systems, in which one sex gathers to display at a well-defined spatial location and the other arrives for the sole purpose of choosing a mate, remain an enduring puzzle for sexual selection theory. The most perplexing aspect of this mating system is embodied by the “paradox of the lek”: in the face of the strong directional selection imposed by mate choice, genetic variation among competing individuals should rapidly disappear, thus negating any benefit for the choosing sex. Here, we show that a marine pipefish, Nerophis lumbriciformis, has an extremely unusual mating system characterized by lekking females. Males, who provide all post-zygotic care to ventrally attached offspring, visit the lek and mate with the most attractive females. In this sex-role-reversed lek, the direct benefits to males are more obvious than in traditional systems as they receive fuller broods of larger eggs when mating with the most ornamented lekking females. Female display traits honestly reflect their reproductive potential, as ornaments are costly to maintain and expressed in a condition-dependent manner. Indirect selection on mating preferences is not necessary to explain the establishment and maintenance of the worm pipefish mating system, so the paradox of the lek appears not to apply to this species. Similar, but subtler, mechanisms could contribute to the maintenance of leks in species with "conventional" sex roles. Keywords: Behavioural ecology, Evolution, Ecology .
Recommended publications
  • The Secret Sex Lives of Sage-Grouse: Multiple Paternity and Intraspecific Nest Parasitism Revealed Through Genetic Analysis
    Behavioral Ecology doi:10.1093/beheco/ars132 Advance Access publication 21 September 2012 Original Article The secret sex lives of sage-grouse: multiple paternity and intraspecific nest parasitism revealed through genetic analysis Krista L. Birda, Cameron L. Aldridgea,b, Jennifer E. Carpentera, Cynthia A. Paszkowskia, Mark S. Boycea and David W. Coltmana aDepartment of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada T6G 2E9 Downloaded from bDepartment of Ecosystem Sciences and NREL, Colorado State University, in cooperation with US Geological Survey, 2150 Centre Avenue, Building C, Fort Collins, CO 80526, USA In lek-based mating systems only a few males are expected to obtain the majority of matings in a single breeding season and http://beheco.oxfordjournals.org/ multiple mating is believed to be rare. We used 13 microsatellites to genotype greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) samples from 604 adults and 1206 offspring from 191 clutches (1999–2006) from Alberta, Canada, to determine paternity and polygamy (males and females mating with multiple individuals). We found that most clutches had a single father and mother, but there was evidence of multiple paternity and intraspecific nest parasitism. Annually, most males fathered only one brood, very few males fathered multiple broods, and the proportion of all sampled males in the population fathering offspring aver- aged 45.9%, suggesting that more males breed in Alberta than previously reported for the species. Twenty-six eggs (2.2%) could be traced to intraspecific nest parasitism and 15 of 191 clutches (7.9%) had multiple fathers. These new insights have important implications on what we know about sexual selection and the mating structure of lekking species.
    [Show full text]
  • Plumage Coloration and Morphology in Chiroxiphia Manakins
    PLUMAGE COLORATION AND MORPHOLOGY IN CHIROXIPHIA MANAKINS: INTERACTING EFFECTS OF NATURAL AND SEXUAL SELECTION Except where reference is made to the work of others, the work described in this dissertation is my own or was done in collaboration with my advisory committee. This dissertation does not include proprietary or classified information. _________________________________________ Stéphanie M. Doucet Certificate of Approval: _____________________ _____________________ F. Stephen Dobson Geoffrey E. Hill, Chair Professor Schamagel Professor Biological Sciences Biological Sciences ______________________ ______________________ Craig Guyer Stephen L. McFarland Professor Acting Dean Biological Sciences Graduate School PLUMAGE COLORATION AND MORPHOLOGY IN CHIROXIPHIA MANAKINS: INTERACTING EFFECTS OF NATURAL AND SEXUAL SELECTION Stéphanie M. Doucet A Dissertation Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of Auburn University in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Auburn, Alabama May 11, 2006 PLUMAGE COLORATION AND MORPHOLOGY IN CHIROXIPHIA MANAKINS: INTERACTING EFFECTS OF NATURAL AND SEXUAL SELECTION Stéphanie M. Doucet Permission is granted to Auburn University to make copies of this dissertation at its discretion, upon request of individuals or institutions and at their expense. The author reserves all publication rights. ____________________________________ Signature of Author ____________________________________ Date of Graduation iii DISSERTATION ABSTRACT PLUMAGE COLORATION AND MORPHOLOGY IN CHIROXIPHIA MANAKINS: INTERACTING EFFECTS OF NATURAL AND SEXUAL SELECTION Stéphanie M. Doucet Doctor of Philosophy, May 11, 2006 (M.S. Queen’s University, 2002) (B.S. Queen’s University, 2000) 231 Typed Pages Directed by Dr. Geoffrey E. Hill I examined how natural and sexual selection may have influenced the morphology and coloration of Chiroxiphia manakins (Aves: Pipridae). In the first chapter, I investigated age– and sex–related patterns of plumage coloration and molt timing in long–tailed manakins, C.
    [Show full text]
  • LEK&Hyphen;LIKE MATING SYSTEM of the MONOGAMOUS BLUE&Hyphen;BLACK GRASSQUIT
    The Auk 118(2):404-411, 2001 LEK-LIKE MATING SYSTEM OF THE MONOGAMOUS BLUE-BLACK GRASSQUIT JULIANA B. ALMEIDA1'3 AND REGINA H. MACEDOTM •Departamentode Ecologia,Universidade de Brasilia,70910-900 Brasilia, Brazil; and 2Departamentode Zoologia,Universidade de Brasilia, 70910-900 Brasflia, Brazil ABSTRACT.--Inthis study, we investigatedthe role of display and mating systemof the little known NeotropicalBlue-black Grassquit (Volatinia jacarina). Males form aggregations and executea highly conspicuousdisplay, resembling traditional leks. Number of displaying malesdeclined throughout the study period, thoughdisplaying intensity during the season showedno variation. Individual maleshad significantlydifferent displayingrates and also defendedterritories of very different sizes,ranging from 13.0 to 72.5 m2, but we found no associationbetween territory sizes and the averagedisplaying ratesof the residentmales. There alsois no associationbetween displaying rates of malesand size and vegetationstruc- ture of their territories. Four of seven nests were found within male territories and obser- vationsindicated that both sexesinvest equally in caring for nestlings.Results suggest that the Blue-blackGrassquit does not fit into the traditionallek mating system,contrary to what hasbeen proposed in the scarceliterature available. However, it is clearthat theseapparently monogamousbirds behavelike a lekking species.We speculateabout the possibilitythat aggregationof nesting territoriesin this speciesmay be due to sexualselection pressures, and suggestthat the Blue-blackGrassquit may be an ideal candidateto test Wagner's(1997) hidden-lek hypothesis.Received 2 August1999, accepted17 October2000. SEXUALSELECTION in lekking species has and Wolf 1979), females do not nest within been the object of much attention during the male territories,but may dependupon resourc- last decades.A lek can be broadly defined as es within them.
    [Show full text]
  • Female Mate Fidelity in a Lek Mating System and Its Implications for the Evolution of Cooperative Lekking Behavior
    The University of Chicago Female Mate Fidelity in a Lek Mating System and Its Implications for the Evolution of Cooperative Lekking Behavior. Author(s): E. H. DuVal Reviewed work(s): Source: The American Naturalist, Vol. 181, No. 2 (February 2013), pp. 213-222 Published by: The University of Chicago Press for The American Society of Naturalists Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.1086/668830 . Accessed: 28/01/2013 11:42 Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at . http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp . JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact [email protected]. The University of Chicago Press, The American Society of Naturalists, The University of Chicago are collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to The American Naturalist. http://www.jstor.org This content downloaded on Mon, 28 Jan 2013 11:42:28 AM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions vol. 181, no. 2 the american naturalist february 2013 Female Mate Fidelity in a Lek Mating System and Its Implications for the Evolution of Cooperative Lekking Behavior E. H. DuVal* Department of Biological Science, Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida 32306 Submitted May 25, 2012; Accepted September 23, 2012; Electronically published December 26, 2012 Dryad data: http://dx.doi.org/10.5061/dryad.vb808.
    [Show full text]
  • Hypothesizing Novel Mating Behaviours in the Squaretail Grouper Based on Direct Behavioural Observations
    Hypothesizing novel mating behaviours in the squaretailRethinking grouper... Ecology 4: 103–114 (2019)103 doi: 10.3897/rethinkingecology.4.33383 RESPONSES http://rethinkingecology.pensoft.net Hypothesizing novel mating behaviours in the squaretail grouper based on direct behavioural observations Rucha Karkarey1,2,3, Amod Zambre4, Kavita Isvaran5, Rohan Arthur1 1 Oceans and Coasts Program, Nature Conservation Foundation, Mysore, India 2 Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal, India 3 National Centre for Biological Sciences, Bangalore, India 4 Department of Eco- logy, Evolution and Behaviour, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, USA 5 Centre for Ecological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, India Corresponding author: Rucha Karkarey ([email protected]) Academic editor: Chris Harrod | Received 26 January 2019 | Accepted 21 May 2019 | Published 14 June 2019 Citation: Karkarey R, Zambre A, Isvaran K, Arthur R (2019) Hypothesizing novel mating behaviours in the squaretail grouper based on direct behavioural observations. Rethinking Ecology 4: 103–114. https://doi.org/10.3897/ rethinkingecology.4.33383 Abstract Historically unfished, high-density spawning aggregations are vanishingly uncommon. Behavioural obser- vations from such aggregations are rare, and may be sometimes novel and unexpected. Given the weight of evidence required to document spawning aggregations, how can we best report rare and unusual behav- ioural variations in spawning populations? Based on two years of in-water observations of a high-density spawning aggregation of the squaretail grouper in the Lakshadweep Archipelago, we described a previous- ly unreported male alternative reproductive tactic (ART) and an inverse size assortment with large males courting several small females that shoaled mid-water (https://doi.org/10.1186/s12898-017-0120-5).
    [Show full text]
  • What Explains the Diversity of Sexually Selected Traits?
    Biol. Rev. (2020), 95, pp. 847–864. 847 doi: 10.1111/brv.12593 Songs versus colours versus horns: what explains the diversity of sexually selected traits? John J. Wiens* and E. Tuschhoff Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, 85721-0088, U.S.A. ABSTRACT Papers on sexual selection often highlight the incredible diversity of sexually selected traits across animals. Yet, few studies have tried to explain why this diversity evolved. Animals use many different types of traits to attract mates and outcom- pete rivals, including colours, songs, and horns, but it remains unclear why, for example, some taxa have songs, others have colours, and others horns. Here, we first conduct a systematic survey of the basic diversity and distribution of dif- ferent types of sexually selected signals and weapons across the animal Tree of Life. Based on this survey, we describe seven major patterns in trait diversity and distributions. We then discuss 10 unanswered questions raised by these pat- terns, and how they might be addressed. One major pattern is that most types of sexually selected signals and weapons are apparently absent from most animal phyla (88%), in contrast to the conventional wisdom that a diversity of sexually selected traits is present across animals. Furthermore, most trait diversity is clustered in Arthropoda and Chordata, but only within certain clades. Within these clades, many different types of traits have evolved, and many types appear to have evolved repeatedly. By contrast, other major arthropod and chordate clades appear to lack all or most trait types, and similar patterns are repeated at smaller phylogenetic scales (e.g.
    [Show full text]
  • Draft Washington State Status Report for the Sage Grouse
    Draft Washington State Status Report for the Sage Grouse by Michelle J. Tirhi David W. Hays Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife 600 Capitol Way North Olympia, Washington 98501-1091 October 1997 The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife maintains a list of endangered, threatened and sensitive species (Washington Administrative Codes 232-12-014 and 232-12-011, Appendix C). In 1990, the Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission adopted listing procedures developed by a group of citizens, interest groups, and state and federal agencies (Washington Administrative Code 232-12-297, Appendix C). The procedures include how species listing will be initiated, criteria for listing and de-listing, public review and recovery and management of listed species. The first step in the process is to develop a preliminary species status report. The report includes a review of information relevant to the species’ status in Washington and addresses factors affecting its status including, but not limited to: historic, current, and future species population trends, natural history including ecological relationships, historic and current habitat trends, population demographics and their relationship to long term sustainability, and historic and current species management activities. The procedures then provide for a 90-day public review opportunity for interested parties to submit new scientific data relevant to the status report, classification recommendation, and any State Environmental Policy Act findings. During the 90-day review period, the Department holds statewide public meetings to answer questions and take comments. At the close of the comment period, the Department completes the Final Status Report and Listing Recommendation for presentation to the Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission.
    [Show full text]
  • Coordinated Display, Social Hierarchy, and the Development of Dancing Ability in Young Long-Tailed Manakins, Chiroxiphia Linearis
    University of Windsor Scholarship at UWindsor Electronic Theses and Dissertations Theses, Dissertations, and Major Papers 2013 Coordinated display, social hierarchy, and the development of dancing ability in young long-tailed manakins, Chiroxiphia linearis Katrina Lukianchuk University of Windsor Follow this and additional works at: https://scholar.uwindsor.ca/etd Recommended Citation Lukianchuk, Katrina, "Coordinated display, social hierarchy, and the development of dancing ability in young long-tailed manakins, Chiroxiphia linearis" (2013). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 4719. https://scholar.uwindsor.ca/etd/4719 This online database contains the full-text of PhD dissertations and Masters’ theses of University of Windsor students from 1954 forward. These documents are made available for personal study and research purposes only, in accordance with the Canadian Copyright Act and the Creative Commons license—CC BY-NC-ND (Attribution, Non-Commercial, No Derivative Works). Under this license, works must always be attributed to the copyright holder (original author), cannot be used for any commercial purposes, and may not be altered. Any other use would require the permission of the copyright holder. Students may inquire about withdrawing their dissertation and/or thesis from this database. For additional inquiries, please contact the repository administrator via email ([email protected]) or by telephone at 519-253-3000ext. 3208. Coordinated display, social hierarchy, and the development of dancing ability in young long-tailed manakins, Chiroxiphia linearis by Katrina Lukianchuk A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies through the Department of Biological Sciences in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Science at the University of Windsor Windsor, Ontario, Canada 2013 © 2013 Katrina Lukianchuk Coordinated display, social hierarchy, and the development of dancing ability in young long-tailed manakins, Chiroxiphia linearis by Katrina Lukianchuk APPROVED BY: ______________________________________________ Dr.
    [Show full text]
  • Coordinated Display, Social Hierarchy, and the Development of Dancing Ability in Young Long-Tailed Manakins, Chiroxiphia Linearis Katrina Lukianchuk
    University of Windsor Scholarship at UWindsor Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2013 Coordinated display, social hierarchy, and the development of dancing ability in young long-tailed manakins, Chiroxiphia linearis Katrina Lukianchuk Follow this and additional works at: https://scholar.uwindsor.ca/etd Recommended Citation Lukianchuk, Katrina, "Coordinated display, social hierarchy, and the development of dancing ability in young long-tailed manakins, Chiroxiphia linearis" (2013). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 4719. https://scholar.uwindsor.ca/etd/4719 This online database contains the full-text of PhD dissertations and Masters’ theses of University of Windsor students from 1954 forward. These documents are made available for personal study and research purposes only, in accordance with the Canadian Copyright Act and the Creative Commons license—CC BY-NC-ND (Attribution, Non-Commercial, No Derivative Works). Under this license, works must always be attributed to the copyright holder (original author), cannot be used for any commercial purposes, and may not be altered. Any other use would require the permission of the copyright holder. Students may inquire about withdrawing their dissertation and/or thesis from this database. For additional inquiries, please contact the repository administrator via email ([email protected]) or by telephone at 519-253-3000ext. 3208. Coordinated display, social hierarchy, and the development of dancing ability in young long-tailed manakins, Chiroxiphia linearis by Katrina Lukianchuk A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies through the Department of Biological Sciences in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Science at the University of Windsor Windsor, Ontario, Canada 2013 © 2013 Katrina Lukianchuk Coordinated display, social hierarchy, and the development of dancing ability in young long-tailed manakins, Chiroxiphia linearis by Katrina Lukianchuk APPROVED BY: ______________________________________________ Dr.
    [Show full text]
  • Variation in Mate Choice and Mating Preferences: a Review of Causes and Consequences " # B Michael D
    Biol. Rev.(), , pp. – Printed in Great Britain VARIATION IN MATE CHOICE AND MATING PREFERENCES: A REVIEW OF CAUSES AND CONSEQUENCES " # B MICHAEL D. JENNIONS MARION PETRIE Animal Behaviour Research Group, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford OXPS, UK (Received November ; revised July ; accepted July ) ABSTRACT The aim of this review is to consider variation in mating preferences among females. We define mating preferences as the sensory and behavioural properties that influence the propensity of individuals to mate with certain phenotypes. Two properties of mating preferences can be distinguished: () ‘preference functions’ – the order with which an individual ranks prospective mates and () ‘choosiness’ – the effort an individual is prepared to invest in mate assessment. Patterns of mate choices can be altered by changing the costs of choosiness without altering the preference function. We discuss why it is important to study variation in female mating behaviour and identify five main areas of interest: Variation in mating preferences and costs of choosiness could () influence the rate and direction of evolution by sexual selection, () provide information about the evolutionary history of female preferences, () help explain inter-specific differences in the evolution of secondary sexual characteristics, () provide information about the level of benefits gained from mate choice, () provide information about the underlying mechanisms of mate choice. Variation in mate choice could be due to variability in preference functions, degree of choosiness, or both, and may arise due to genetic differences, developmental trajectories or proximate environmental factors. We review the evidence for genetic variation from genetic studies of heritability and also from data on the repeatability of mate-choice decisions (which can provide information about the upper limits to heritability).
    [Show full text]
  • Courtship Behaviour and Display-Site Sharing Appears Conditional on Body Size in a Lekking Bat
    Animal Behaviour 136 (2018) 13e19 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Animal Behaviour journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/anbehav Courtship behaviour and display-site sharing appears conditional on body size in a lekking bat * C. A. Toth a, , A. W. Santure a, G. I. Holwell a, D. E. Pattemore b, S. Parsons a, 1 a School of Biological Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand b The New Zealand Institute for Plant & Food Research Ltd, Hamilton, New Zealand article info Leks are aggregations of sexually displaying males visited by receptive females and characterized by e Article history: intense male male competition to attract mates. Success in lekking species is often contingent upon Received 5 March 2017 male display output and/or lek attendance, with energetically costly displays functioning as an honest Initial acceptance 19 October 2017 indicator of male quality. Furthermore, display spaces are vigorously defended by territorial males, and Final acceptance 20 October 2017 territory characteristics are often linked to male phenotype. Here we describe the courtship and terri- torial behaviour of lekking lesser short-tailed bats, Mystacina tuberculata, and both behaviours appear to MS. number: A17-00213R3 be conditional on body size. During the breeding season, lekking males occupy and defend small tree hollows and sing for long periods of the night to attract females. Although some males sing alone, others Keywords: form ‘timeshare’ singing roosts, where multiple males visit sequentially to sing each night. In our study, alternative mating tactic solitary males were significantly smaller than timeshare males and individually had both higher song conditional strategy outputs and higher roost occupancy rates, although timeshare roosts had higher overall occupancy rates.
    [Show full text]
  • Repeated Mating in a Lek-Mating Insect, Drosophila Melanogaster
    Drapeau, Mark D., Brent Fuller, Casandra L. Rauser, and Anthony D. Long. 2001. Repeated mating in a lek-mating insect, Drosophila melanogaster. Dros. Inf. Serv. 84: 136-140. Repeated mating in a lek-mating insect, Drosophila melanogaster. Drapeau, Mark D., Brent Fuller, Casandra L. Rauser, and Anthony D. Long.. Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697-2525; Phone: 949/824-5994; Fax: 949/824-2181; Email: [email protected]. Introduction Females of many diverse animal species mate multiple times in nature (Andersson, 1994; Johnson and Burley, 1997). Often, such “multiple mating” is performed with different male partners, as in the fruitfly Drosophila melanogaster (e.g., Minamori and Morihira, 1969; Fuerst et al., 1973). In general, copulation is assumed to be costly for many reasons (Hunter et al., 1993). Thus, explaining the frequent occurrence of multiple mating, particularly when new copulations do not result in or are not necessary for fertilization of eggs, is an important area of research in evolutionary and behavioral biology. A number of hypotheses have been proposed to explain the occurrence of multiple mating, and there is general empirical support for these (reviewed in Petrie et al., 1992). Sometimes, females remate with the same male partner (“repeated mating”; Hunter et al., 1993). It is unclear how widespread repeated mating is, since reports from only a limited number of species exist (Petrie, 1992; Petrie et al., 1992; Hunter et al., 1993; Choe, 1995; Lens et al., 1997; Brown, 1997; Andrade and Mason, 2000). Although the groups of hypothesized explanations of multiple mating and repeated mating overlap, they are different (Hunter et al., 1993).
    [Show full text]